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Filming with Mary’s Biographer
Naturally, revisiting the story of a woman like Mary has led us down a path filled with adventure and unexpected discoveries. Last autumn, Meghan and I found ourselves on opposite ends of a pack string horseback riding in the Ptarmigan Valley, just as Mary had in 1904. We also shared a similar ‘pinch me’ moment last month while filming and interviewing Mary Schäffer’s biographer, Janice Sanford Beck.
Our Resource Library
Research for Wildflowers has been taken us in many directions, from the archives to interviews, trips that have us walking or riding in Schäffer’s footsteps to a long list of reading materials. It’s clear that Mary Schäffer Warren has been the subject of much study. It’s no surprise; her unconventional life and remarkable accomplishments are compelling and lend themselves to further investigation. Academics have unpacked her photography and her contributions to Rockies history. One such academic wound up writing Schäffer’s first-ever, full-length biography. One writer has looked more closely at Schäffer’s hand-painted lantern slides, another decided to retrace Schäffer’s 1907 and 1908 expeditions through the Canadian Rockies (save for the Maligne River Valley, which we will retrace in August 2023!)
Wildflowers is filmed and produced on Treaties 6, 7 and 8 Territory, the traditional and sacred lands of the Niitsitapi from the Blackfoot Confederacy (the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations); the Stoney Nation comprised of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney; the Tsuut’ina Nation; the homeland of the Métis and Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation of Alberta; the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc Nations; the Mountain Cree clan of Chief Peechee; the Dene; and the traditional territories of the Katzie and Kwantlen Nations. It is with gratitude that we visit these landscapes.
Filmed on location and with the permission of the Parks Canada Agency, at Jasper National Park and Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, as well as with permission of the Town of Banff.